Retire to Lancaster County Area from Outside PA (Lititz, Mount Joy: vehicle registration, tornado)

[orlandoyankee]

I'm trying to get some info from folks who have retired to the Lancaster area (Lititz, Mount Joy areas as well) from other states. Specifically from warm weather states. My wife and I stayed at a B&B in Lancaster a couple of years ago. The owners had moved from TN and were telling us how happy they were living in that part of PA.

Looking at the income tax situation, it appears that most if not all of my projected income (SS, 401k, pension) would be exempt from state income taxes. Vehicle registrations would be a lot less in PA than where I am now. So, financially, it seems to be a plus for me.

What I would be interested in knowing is how difficult was the transition regarding the weather, the people, etc. Not looking to work except maybe part-time occasionally.

I was originally thinking about NC (too many Floridians), TN (my wife doesn't care for it too much), SC (too hot and humid in the summer for too long a time). It seems that the Lancaster area has everything we would want in an area. I think the weather scares my wife a little and the unknown concerning the general mood of the people living in the Lancaster area. Any thoughts, opinions would be appreciated.

[bnepler]

My wife and I are retired to the Strasburg area. We lived in the Tampa area for almost 10 years. The winter can be a drag around February and March. We're both from PA originally.

[orlandoyankee]

Originally Posted by bnepler

My wife and I are retired to the Strasburg area. We lived in the Tampa area for almost 10 years. The winter can be a drag around February and March. We're both from PA originally.

Any issues that you ran across with the local population? Were they open and accepting? Or were they standoff-ish?

[lititzman2003]

We didn't retire to here but we're probably not much younger then you so, if I may, here are my thoughts.

First off, the weather usually is okay. During the summer the days are mild but too hot. Nights are cool. There is the occasional tornado warning which is scary. Winters are tough but I think the roads are cleared off quickly; others disagree.

We've been in Lititz over eight and a half years and have found the people are slow to warm up to "outsiders". The older ones think we're going to ruin their world and the younger ones just don't want to be bothered. If you're not a "people person" you'll do fine here.

There are plenty of part time jobs around.

Hope this helps a little.

[orlandoyankee]

Originally Posted by lititzman2003

We didn't retire to here but we're probably not much younger then you so, if I may, here are my thoughts.

First off, the weather usually is okay. During the summer the days are mild but too hot. Nights are cool. There is the occasional tornado warning which is scary. Winters are tough but I think the roads are cleared off quickly; others disagree.

We've been in Lititz over eight and a half years and have found the people are slow to warm up to "outsiders". The older ones think we're going to ruin their world and the younger ones just don't want to be bothered. If you're not a "people person" you'll do fine here.

There are plenty of part time jobs around.

Hope this helps a little.

It does help. Thanks.